Nick Picks Flicks

Click here to edit subtitle

Home

Also Check Out Nick On...

Featuring Nick's film reviews, Flickreel is an online movie magazine specializing in video-based articles. It covers all the latest film news, reviews, previews and trailers, alongside features which take a deeper look into the world of film.

All the top 10 lists Nick has scripted for WatchMojo.com, the 7th largest YouTube channel in the world throughout 2014.

Story Monsters Ink is a free, subscription-based magazine that
gives parents and educators the latest news about award-winning and
debut books, profiles on both renowned and newly published authors,
upcoming book events, author presentations and more.

About Nick Spake

At
the age of fifteen, I launched NickPicksFlicks.com, a website dedicated
to the art of film. Since then, I have worked as a published film
critic for Arizona State Press, Ahwatukee Foothills News, Nerd Repository, Film Festival
Today, Arizona Filmmaker Magazine, and East Valley Tribune.
Entertainment writing has also given me the opportunity to interview
several big name celebrities, including Emma Stone, Chris Evans, J.J.
Abrams, Emma Roberts, and various others. My life hit a roadblock in
2013 when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, but I refused to let
having cancer prevent me from writing film reviews and finishing college
with a 4.0 GPA. In May 2013, I graduated from Arizona State University,
achieving a BA in Theatre and a minor in communications. Teaching me
just how precious life is, my disease further influenced me to reach out
to others through my writing. Today, I'm happy to say that I am
currently cancer free. As of September 2014, I have worked as a
freelancer writer for WatchMojo.com, which recently surpassed 6 million
subscribers on YouTube. This video content site has acted as a creative
outlet for me to write top ten lists about movies, television, video
games, and pretty much everything else. Out of the hundred scripts I've
contributed to them so far, I'm primarily proud of the Top 10 Sci-Fi
Movies of All Time, Another Top 10 Super Bowl Commercials, and Top 10
Worst Movies of 2014. In 2015, I joined the Flickreel family as a a critic and columnist. I'm overjoyed to be on the team and can't wait to bring you all
more movie reviews.

Recent Blog Entries

The Hitman's Bodyguard

It's Deadpool meets Nick Fury, what went wrong? **

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is being marketed as an action
comedy in the same vein as “Deadpool.” While the film has plenty of gratuitous
action to go around, it’s surprisingly lacking in the comedy department. There
are actually times when the movie doesn’t even seem sure if it wants to be a
comedy. That’s not to say there are no funny moments whatsoever, but those
scenes are overshadowed by routine car chases and shootouts that go on forever.
If you sit down anticipating the next “Deadpool,” prepare to be disappointed.
You shouldn’t expect the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston parody the poster
promised either.

Samuel L. Jackson stars as the titular hitman, Darius
Kincaid, who finds himself in Interpol custody along with his foulmouthed wife
(Salma Hayek). Darius can get his better half pardoned if he testifies in court
to incarcerate an Eastern European dictator (Gary Oldman). When the villain
sends his own hitman after Daris, Ryan Reynolds enters the mix as the titular
bodyguard, Michael Bryce. It turns out these two share a complicated history,
as Daris has tried to kill Michael on multiple occasions. Michael agrees to
protect his adversary, however, in hopes of getting back in the good graces of
his ex-girlfriend (Élodie Yung)

Reynolds and Jackson are two of the most charismatic actors
around. To this movie’s credit, both share a likable chemistry and inject a
fair deal of life into their scenes. Hayek and Yung also manage to score a few solid
one-liners, excelling above just being the love interests. Unfortunately, long
stretches of time pass without a single laugh. Unlike Edgar Wright and Paul
Feig, who both know how to handle action and comedy, Patrick Hughes’ background
is primarily action-oriented. His last film was “The Expendables 3” and “The
Hitman’s Bodyguard” just feels like more of that old shtick.

Aside from having more explosions than jokes, the film can
be downright unpleasant at times. The violence isn’t especially funny. If
anything, it’s just gross and cringe-worthy. The bad guys are all killjoys
without a funny bone in their bodies, which is becoming increasingly tiresome
in action comedies. Hell, one of the first scenes involves a mother and child
being brutally murdered. Doesn’t that just scream hilarity? Not since “Suicide
Squad” has a film had a harder time deciding what it wants to be. Of course “Suicide
Squad” was so all over the place that it was at least kind of intriguing to
watch. “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is simply forgettable.

It doesn’t help that the film essentially follows the same
formula of every other buddy movie ever made. We all know that Michael and Darius
aren’t going to like each other at first, but will inevitably become friends.
It’s not a bad formula per se, but what matters is how the filmmakers execute
it. Here, they’ve got the stars and a few interesting ideas, but the tone is
impossible to get a grasp on. In short, “Midnight Run” it ain’t.

Logan Lucky

Wait, is it Lucky Logan or Logan Lucky? I can never remember... ***1/2

"Logan Lucky" is about a group of criminals that seem
dumb on the surface, but turn out to be smarter than they appear.
Likewise, the film itself is much smarter than the ads might have you
think.

The Only Living Boy in New York

Not even serviceable **

Walking out of the theater, one running gag that’s bound to standout is
where Thomas’ father tells him that his work is serviceable at best.
Unfortunately, "The Only Living Boy in New York" isn’t even that.

Annabelle: Creation

Child's playforgrownups ****

“The Conjuring”became
a surprise hit back in 2013, breathing new live into the supernatural horror
genre. For every successful film, though, there’s always a cheap, rushed out,
crash grab. Enter 2014’s “Annabelle,” a spinoff everyone wrote off as cliché
and unnecessary. Fortunately, this franchise had a comeback last year with “The
Conjuring 2” and “Annabelle: Creation”keeps
the momentum going. Much like “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” this is a prequel that
improves upon its predecessor and manages to stand out in the crowded horror
market.

In this origin story, we learn that a man named Samuel
Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) created the Annabelle doll. Samuel lives a happy
life with his wife (Miranda Otto) and daughter (Samara Lee). When tragedy
strikes the family, however, Samuel is left a broken man. Another twelve years
down the line, Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) takes up residence in the
house with several orphaned girls. Among the orphans are a crippled child named
Janice (Talitha Bateman) and her best friend Linda (Lulu Wilson). When Janice
stumbles upon Annabelle, an evil is awakened in the house and only the power of
Christ can compel it back to sleep.

The scary doll trope is so overused that you’d think it
would be old by now. Yet, Annabelle is certainly one of modern cinema’s
creepiest inanimate objects. That’s because the filmmakers never turn her into
a Chucky knockoff that’s constantly cracking one-liners or awkwardly walking
around. Sometimes less is more and “Annabelle: Creation”manages to produce so much terror with so little. Director David
F. Sandberg made a name for himself directing no-budget horror shorts and his
talents are perfectly tailored for this material.

Granted, “Annabelle: Creation”does bring up some of the questions that seem to plague every
haunted house movie. If a house hosts a demonic presence, why would anybody
want to live there? Why don’t they just leave at the first sign of danger? Why
doesn’t anybody ever burn these places to the ground? While not everything
necessarily adds up, “Annabelle: Creation” thankfully never turns its
characters into bumbling idiots. Likewise, the film treats its audience with
intelligence by resisting the urge to go for cheap scares, keeping us on our
toes at all times.

Sandberg does a fantastic job at slowly building tension in
the first act and upping the ante with each set piece. The final product is an
exceptionally crafted thriller with chilling atmosphere, striking imagery, strong
performances, and even a subtle sense of humor. As far as this genre goes, “Annabelle:
Creation”may not be a game changer
like “The Exorcist.” Considering that this is the fourth entry in an ongoing
series, however, the filmmakers deserve extra credit for going above and beyond
to keep the audience jumping out of their seats. Most horror franchises would
be heading straight-to-video at this point, but there’s still plenty of life in
“The Conjuring” and “Annabelle.”

The Dark Tower

This is the darkest timeline **

Whether you’ve read King’s original books or not, the audience can sense that "The Dark Tower" has
a rich lore and lots of fascinating ideas. At only 95 minutes, though,
this film adaptation packs in far too much backstory and not nearly
enough humanity.

Dunkirk

Oscar for Nolan? *****

Since Nolan has set the bar increasingly high, however, it’s hard to say
where exactly this movie would rank in his filmography. That being
said, three things are for certain. First, this is easily among Nolan’s
most triumphant feats behind the camera. Second, it warrants comparison
to the most engaging war pictures ever made. Third, "Dunkirk" is currently the best picture of the year and it could quite possibly hold onto that title well into awards season.